Munchkin Dodging

Today was the quiet (but seriously busy) session down at the small rink, and for the majority of it, I spent my time Munchkin dodging. At least it teaches me to have quick reflexes whilst skating, but I was feeling more like the Wicked Witch of the West, rather than Glinda the Good. I guess I should feel lucky that I don't have to deal with the EZ-Skaters that Gordon (Sk8er Boi) was talking about - they basically sound like zimmer frames on ice, for the aforementioned adorable little critters (my teeth aren't gritted at all, honest!).

Then something strange happened - 20 minutes before the end of the session, practically the whole ice emptied, with only about ten people left. It was great! Not as good as the daytime sessions up at Ally Pally, but still, fantastic for that time of day. We also changed direction, so it was good to skate in a clockwise direction for a change - I do worry that going to these public sessions so often will teach me only to skate in one direction!

Practiced the usual things - stops, two foot turns and edges. I also practiced a lot of forward stroking which I normally do. Today I was doing it both at speed, and also really slowly with long strokes. I guess I believe that if I can get good control doing the basics, it will give me good building blocks for the more difficult skills. I have seen a few people who can barely stand on the ice, trying to do complicated things and think they must be risking serious injury. I don't want to join them - I think this skating milarky is tricky enough already!!

My legs are quite achey now, having skated two days in a row which is not normal for me. I can even feel my thigh muscles for the first time. It's good to feel these muscles being worked!